¹û¶³´«Ã½

Project Purpose

Artificial intelligence is reshaping how the world responds to climate change, and COP31 in Antalya is expected to put AI and sustainability at the centre of its agenda. Yet policymakers are making consequential decisions with limited structured, independent research evidence on how AI is actually being framed and negotiated inside the COP process.

This project closes that gap. Three ¹û¶³´«Ã½ student researchers, selected competitively from across the university, will attend COP31 as embedded researchers. Using structured observation at COP31 and follow-up interviews conducted remotely with delegates and civil society participants, they will gather primary data on how AI is being discussed within international climate governance. Their findings will feed into a co-authored policy paper aimed at UK government departments (DSIT and DESNZ), a podcast episode, a seminar, a conference presentation, a methodology report, and a peer-reviewed journal article.

The project draws on ¹û¶³´«Ã½'s existing strength at the intersection of AI and sustainability, including the Responsible AI and Digital Sustainability Action Group (RADSAG), the QS Responsible AI Consortium, and the university's Research Spotlights in Sustainability and in Digital, Data Science and AI. It is delivered with Monash University through the alliance between ¹û¶³´«Ã½ and Monash, and it aligns with the UK Government mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower.

Beyond the research itself, this places student researchers, not only senior academics, at the centre of a live international policy process, building research and policy engagement capacity at ¹û¶³´«Ã½ for future years.

Timeline

• September 2026 — Researcher selection: a competitive process to choose the three student researchers.
• October to early November 2026 — Preparation programme, covering COP processes and negotiation frameworks, the AI and sustainability policy landscape, research methods for complex policy environments, and briefings from the Monash team on COP navigation.
• 9 to 20 November 2026 — COP31, Antalya: researchers carry out structured observation and interviews, supported by ¹û¶³´«Ã½'s academic leads.

• November 2026 to February 2027 – Follow-up interviews conducted remotely with contacts secured at COP31.

• February 2027 to June 2027 — Analysis, outputs and dissemination, including the co-authored policy paper, podcast episode, seminar, conference presentation, and methodology report.

Eligibility and Application Process

Open to ¹û¶³´«Ã½ postgraduate and undergraduate researchers, with particular relevance to those connected to the Sustainability and the Digital, Data Science and AI Research Spotlights, though applications are welcomed from across the wider university.

Three researchers will be selected through a competitive process based on research relevance and policy interest, running in October 2026.

This application is open until Thursday 24th September at 5pm.

Project Leads

• Professor Stéphanie Panichelli-Batalla — Professor in Global Sustainable Development and Academic Director for Sustainability. Leads the project overall, leads the research design, and will be the primary ¹û¶³´«Ã½ academic lead on the ground at COP31. Co-chairs RADSAG.
• Dr Tom Ritchie — Department of Chemistry. Leads the AI and sustainability research strand, drawing on his roles co-leading the QS Responsible AI Consortium Working Group on AI Equity and Sustainability and chairing ¹û¶³´«Ã½'s ESD Action Group. Leads researcher preparation, contributes to data collection at COP31, and leads evaluation and dissemination.
• Professor Celine Tan — ¹û¶³´«Ã½ Law School. Brings expertise in international economic law, climate finance, and multilateral engagement. Chairs the Multilateral Engagement Action Group (MEAG), advises on the legal and governance dimensions of the COP31 negotiations, contributes to the policy paper, and draws on her networks within the United Nations and the multilateral climate community.
• Dr Susie Ho — Monash University (external academic partner). Provides guidance on COP engagement and navigation, drawing on Monash's institutional experience of the COP environment, through the alliance between ¹û¶³´«Ã½ and Monash.